Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

Our range of Hawthorn bare root plants (Crataegus monogyna)

We have Hawthorn bare root hedging plants in several specifications and heights.  The 1+0 specification plants are seedlings (often called whips) which were grown from seed sown in the spring and are sold during the following November to April months ie they are 1 year old.  We have Hawthorn whips in several heights all grown by us in Herefordshire.

We also have Hawthorn transplants (1+1) which began as a one year old whip (grown from seed in one growing season) and are then planted back out for one more growing season in a different area of our fields at lower density to give each plant more space, nutrients and water. Again these are all grown by us in Herefordshire.

We sell more hawthorn hedging plants than any other species so we always have several batches of seed including UK provenance (in the coming season we will have 4 different UK provenance batches) plus some of the highest quality imported seed (often more resistant to mildew) so if the seed provenance is important to you, please give us a call.

In addition, we have cell grown Hawthorn which are grown by one of the UK's best specialist growers and these can be planted all year round.

You can read more about the specifications we offer on the tab just below the pricing table to the right of this product description or in our blog on the topic of specifications.

Hawthorn (Crataegus Monogyna) Summary

The UK countryside wouldn’t look as it does without the native Hawthorn hedges, particularly in May when its creamy white and pink scented blossom covers every country hedge and road verge up and down the land. It is the backbone of farm hedging due to its thorny and dense stock-proof habit (great for wildlife habitat), profuse flowering (great for pollinating insects – it is thought to support over 200 different types of insects) and equally profuse red berries (called haws) which cover it in autumn until eaten by birds (especially fieldfares, waxwings, blackbirds, and thrushes).

Hawthorn is used in many settings - it can be grown as a hedgerow or standalone tree (and in this case it will produce even more berries due to not being trimmed allowing it to flower and then produce berries on old wood), used as a single species hedge, as a woodland shrub or most popular of all, it is often the main component of a mixed native stock proof hedge (see our separate page for bare root mixed native hedging packs). It is well suited to hedge laying.  It is hard to know when Hawthorn became popular as a hedging plant but it is thought that in the period of the Parliamentary enclosures of land, 200,000 miles of "quickset" hedges were planted across Britain (quickthorn or thorn still being common names that are frequently used today).

Soil and Situation

Hawthorn is suited to all soil types other than boggy ground and is good in sun or shade. It’s particularly recommended for exposed sites, even at the coast. It is non-toxic which contributes to its use in farm hedging where livestock might graze.

Hawthorn is one of our most important species for wildlife shelter and defence, for wildlife sustenance and a boundary marker.

Leaves, flowers, fruit and bark

The leaves of Hawthorn are about 6cm long with toothed deep lobes (at least halfway to the mid rib). They emerge early in spring as bright green and then darken as the summer progresses until they are really quite dark green. The leaves turn yellow in autumn, and it is fully deciduous. The spines on Hawthorn are modified branches that grow just above new buds to protect the plant from browsing animals.

The flowers have 5 petals and grow in flat topped clusters and when we say they are profuse we're not exaggerating.  The autumnal berries called haws are small, red and shiny and held in clusters. Each haw contains just one hard-shelled seed.  The flowers and leaves when freshly picked were known as "bread and cheese" - a popular springtime snack.

Bark is brown/grey and fissured (great for little insects to hide in which increases the attractiveness of the species to birds) - it is said that hawthorn is a biologically important hedging species.

The wood is hard to work and because it grows in multiple trunks, it is of little use other than as firewood.

Eventual height and growth rate

As a tree, it will grow to a height of about 15m and can either be single stemmed with a dense crown or more likely will grow into a  shrubby, multi-stemmed tree. It is fast growing (young plants will grow by about 40cm pa) and can tolerate hard pruning at any time of the year (though definitely not before 31 July to allow baby birds to fledge) but is most often pruned in late autumn or preferably very early spring, leaving the haws as winter food for birds and small mammals.

It flowers and fruits on “old wood” which is why you so often see little flower or haws at low levels where hedging has been trimmed and then more profuse flowers/haws higher up (or on Hawthorn trees) where it has not been trimmed. To maximise flowering/haw production in hedging, don’t trim it every year, or leave some areas untrimmed. In a mixed hedge, Hawthorn is generally the dominant species (unless its wet soil where Blackthorn would be better), and because Hawthorn is not a bulky plant, and is the least expensive of all hedging plants available, it often makes up 50% or even more of plants in a mixed hedge. You can reduce the cost of a mixed hedge by planting more Hawthorn interspersed with fewer of the additional species.

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This section gives definitions on the specifications of plants that we sell.  We are specialists in field grown (or bare root) plants which are grown in two ways.  The majority are grown from seed, some are ready within one growing season (seedlings or 1+0's) and some species require two growing seasons (1u1's).  In addition to growing from seed we also grow from small plants or cuttings (transplants) which are much more widely spaced (taking more land, more irrigation water, fertilisers and labour).  There are only a handful of bare root wholesale nurseries in the UK and of those even fewer grow transplants but Ray Jenkins has many years' experience of transplanting so we grow these in large volumes.  Ray has written this blog about the benefits of bare root plants and how they are grown and another blog which gives further detail on bare root specifications.

The detailed specifications are shown below.  If you are in doubt about what specification to use please email us on enquiries@rjtreesandhedging.co.uk with a description of the project (and photos if appropriate) and we will advise you.

1+0 - field grown in one season from seed, known as a seedling (sometimes called a whip), generally a slender single stem plant.   These are the cheapest specification and are particularly suitable for planting where weed competition will be less intense, soil is shallow or on exposed windy sites.  Gives a high root to shoot ratio and minimal plant "check".

2+0 - a 2 year seedling, field grown from seed in the same seed bed in two growing seasons where the species cannot be grown to a saleable plant from seed in one season

1U1 - 2 year old plant called an undercut, field grown for two seasons in the same seed bed and undercut by machine (a sharp blade cutting the roots under the soil level) after the first year to develop the root structure. We do this with several species which take 2 years to develop (eg oak, beech, hornbeam)

1+1 - 2 year old plant (transplant) grown from seed in the first year and then transplanted into a different area of the field and spaced out for the second growing season - a robust plant with a larger and more robust root system than seedling or undercut plant which will enable it to better withstand drought and weed competition. Often the best choice and the staple norm for farm hedging and this specification is a requirement of the Countryside Stewardship Grant

1+2- a 3 year old plant, two years field growing in the seedbed and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further two growing seasons giving a tall, stocky, bushy plant

2+1- a 3 year old plant, two years field growing in the seedbed and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further growing season, giving a strong bushy plant

3+1 - as above but field grown for a further growing season for more height and a very bushy plant

1+3- 4 year old, one year field growing in the seed beds and then transplanted (and spaced out) for three years, giving a very strong, bushy plant

2+2- 4 year old, two years field growing in the seed beds and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further two years - a very mature plant suited to certain species like beech and hornbeam where we can offer almost instant hedging

and some that are a bit different.....

P9 - a plant grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel in a 9cm pot (for holly which germinates poorly in the field)

Cell grown - a plant grown in small deep cells (like a small yogurt pot) and then lifted out of those for transportation. Commonly used in forestry and large hedging projects.  Very high quality plants with excellent success rate.  See our blog on the benefits of cell grown plants.

C+1 or C+2 - a 3 or 4 year old plant initally started as hardwood cuttings grown on for a year as cell grown plants and then lined out in fields to grow on for a further 1 or 2 years (a technique used for Cherry Laurel)

0/1 - a hardwood cutting, then field grown for one season (for example for white willow, black poplar and osier)